(Fairfax) — Farmers and producers in and around northwest Missouri can learn more about some of the latest technologies in agriculture at a special class in Fairfax early next month.
The University of Missouri Extension is hosting a drone workshop at the MU Graves-Chapple Extension and Education Center in Fairfax on August 5th, featuring extension specialists from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rusty Lee is an agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. Lee tells KMA News that the day-long workshop will cover the entire range of how to use both small and large utility drones in agriculture, including reviewing the necessary paperwork and documentation required to operate a drone.
“It’ll start with the indoor classroom portion of regulations, laws, what licensing one needs, how to go about studying, how to take the exam, what to expect,” said Lee. “So, we want to just pull back the curtain on the mystery of what does it take to have your license to legally operate a drone.”
Lee adds they’ll also review the types of products that a drone can apply before conducting hands-on field exercises in the afternoon.
“That’s the most exciting part for everyone–everybody gets a chance to fly a drone,” he said. “We’ll spray water or we’ll spread some inert kitty litter material so we can calibrate the dry material spreader and we can calibrate and apply water.”
A catered lunch will also be provided at noon. Lee says drones are quickly becoming a popular “tool” in the box for agricultural producers.
“We’re seeing a lot of entrepreneurial personalities creating drone businesses, we’ve got people curious about starting a drone business,” said Lee. “There are even established supply cooperatives, farmer co-ops, service and supply providers that with ground rigs, they are also adding to their fleet of application equipment, drone products.”
While drones are becoming more popular, Lee says it still depends on each producer’s situation as to whether they would be better served by a “ground rig” or aerial vehicle. However, he emphasized the importance of producers utilizing drones to attend a class like the one in Fairfax, ensuring they have all the necessary licenses and are operating the equipment safely.
“We’re now operating a device that has the ability to interfere with manned air traffic, so the FAA takes a very keen interest,” Lee emphasized. “In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration–they are in charge of licensure and oversight of safe usage of drones. We absolutely can use these safely, but we do need to have the education so that people understand the potential that abuse of this technology could lead to.”
Pre-registration is required by August 1st and costs $100 per attendee, which includes training sessions, a materials packet, and a catered lunch. For questions about the event, contact Caleb O’Neal at onealc@missouri.edu or 417-466-2148.